


Won’t look down, won’t open my eyes

by Kairin16



Series: Halloween 2016 [1]
Category: Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Costume Parties & Masquerades, Gen, Halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-19 00:53:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8182640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairin16/pseuds/Kairin16
Summary: Tony wakes up on a ball





	

**Author's Note:**

> October starts so I decided to get back on the writing horse by doing Haloween drabbles every day, hopefully getting in the rhythm of things enough to participate in NaNoWriMo in November. Prompt 1 was Masquerade Ball so there you go.

There was a noise in the periphery of his senses when he knew a silence should be. His bedroom at the tower was soundproof and he remembered locking the door before collapsing on the bed. No one could have sneaked into the room without his knowledge, not with the amount of security involved. But there it was, a chatter somewhere nearby. It was muted however, as if coming from behind a well so maybe it was okay, maybe whoever came to bother him couldn’t get past the living room.

It was the moment he opened his eyes that the sound intensified, became more distinct voices and music underneath. Tony looked around himself, at the lavish ballroom he was standing in and felt a chill creep down his spine. While he, admittedly, had his episodes with alcohol and other substances that would have caused black outs, all of it was decidedly behind him now that he tried to be responsible superhero. He did not remember a ball.

Actually, he did not remember there being a ball or even an invitation that he could have ignored. Seeing as Tony tended to avoid more crowded places as of late, even if there was he wouldn’t have accepted. And yet, here he stood, in the middle of the crowded ballroom, people milling around him without taking notice of him at all. 

They all wore masks, he realized after what was a longer while that he’d like to. Men and women in evening wear, gowns that had feathers sown into them, suits that glittered with satin and silk. Masks, on all kinds of faces, young and old, some covering half of person’s face, other full masks with only little slits for eyes. There was a mask in his hand as well, but that one was different than the rest.

Iron Man looked at him from his grip, its eyes empty and devoid of life without Tony behind them. Taking a deep breath to ground himself and calm his racing heart, Tony looked around the room more closely, trying to figure out what was happening. He saw a flash of ginger and a face without any covering, his feet started on in the direction before he even fully recognized the person.

Pepper was there somewhere, seemingly having a great time, but Tony remembered that Pepper was in LA while he was in New York. A party when they would both appear was almost as impossible as him going to any party at all. 

To his horror, the closer he got to Pepper, the ticker the crowd became, people pressing on him from all sides, their voices rising in pitch until it was all he could do to press forward and try to ignore them. Suddenly a hand shot out of the mass of bodies and he only barely escaped being grabbed. As if on signal, everyone around him turned and started reaching their hands to him, their voices rising and rising to make his head feel like it was being stabbed with needles. 

It was almost enough to stop him, but something was wrong, or rather everything was wrong and he couldn’t stop, or he’d drown, he knew he would. Tony pushed at the crowd, the mask slipping from his fingers, its fall echoing loudly in the room that has gone silent and empty. Tony stood panting, looking around himself warily, his legs taking him forward almost without his will. 

“There you are.” 

Tony turned and almost collapsed with relief when he saw Pepper, his darling smiling Pepper who had never looked more beautiful. 

“I was looking everywhere for you.” She said and reached for his arm. Tony smiled and came forward before stumbling back in terror when he noticed the tiny cracks around her jaw and temples. “Oh, Tony, don’t you like my mask?” She said and reached up to take Pepper’s porcelain face off. “I thought it would make you more comfortable, love.”

Tony stood frozen as Iron Man looked back on him, its eyes sparkling and alive.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on @lifesmarvels or @seedofthought if you're only interested in fic ;)


End file.
